Changeable Magic Triumph

ATLANTA -- Magic Coach Doc Rivers looked like a mad scientist Wednesday night, concocting strange-mix lineups that could have exploded at any moment.

Get used to seeing it. That's what versatility brings.

A 101-93 NBA exhibition victory against the Atlanta Hawks looked like a good time to experiment, so Rivers did.

Point guard Darrell Armstrong was replaced by center John Amaechi late in the first half. Armstrong was replaced by power forward Pat Garrity early in the second half.

The Magic played a five-forward lineup once, and they played an all-shooter lineup another time. They played without a center. And they played without a point guard.

It was anything-goes night.

"It was fun, too," Rivers said. "We did something tonight that we hadn't even worked on yet in practice. We wanted to see how it went, and I think it worked pretty well.''

Tracy McGrady, Grant Hill and Mike Miller -- all very versatile -- all played together, taking turns initiating the offense when Armstrong sat down, moving the ball and opening a whole lot of options for Rivers to consider this season.

McGrady, who struggled on offense the previous night against the New Jersey Nets, led the Magic with 22 points, five rebounds and five assists in 28 minutes. The Magic won their fifth consecutive exhibition game, which is one victory short of their start a year ago.

"It was pretty neat. One minute we were small, and the next minute we were tall," Hill said. "This team likes to do a lot of different things, and more importantly, I think we'll be able to do a lot of different things well this season."

Hill played 16 minutes, four more than he played in his first game Tuesday night. He still looked tentative and out of rhythm at times, but he also showed flashes of what the Magic can expect this season.

Twice in fast-break situations, Hill hardly touched the ball, getting a pass from Armstrong that he quickly moved to Bo Outlaw for wide-open dunks. Hill scored just four points, making only one of four field-goal attempts, but he had four rebounds and three assists.

Hill missed most of training camp and the early part of the exhibition schedule after surgery on his left ankle last spring.

"It's coming along now, and I'm making progress," Hill said. "I don't feel the explosiveness yet, but it'll come. I've just got to start getting into the attack mode. I feel good."

McGrady continued his outstanding exhibition season, scoring more than 20 points for the fourth time. When he was double-teamed, he found Outlaw inside. In the open court, he led one fast break that ended in a pass to Miller, who scored on an easy lay-in. "I don't have a position.

I can play anywhere from [point guard to power forward],'' McGrady said. "We don't have one-dimensional players on this team. We've got a load of guys who are multidimensional, and when you have that, you can do a lot of things.''

Outlaw, who has wrapped up the job as the starting power forward, had 11 points, five rebounds and three blocked shots. Miller had 16 points, canning three of his five 3-pointers. He has made nine of 16 3-pointers in the five exhibition games. He has scored 16 points in three consecutive games. He also had seven rebounds Wednesday.

"When we mix it up like that, teams don't know what to expect from us,'' Armstrong said. "Instead of us adjusting to them, they have to try and adjust to us, and it forces them into things they don't want to do. This will work well for us. It really gives Doc some options.''

As much as the versatility the Magic showed Wednesday, Rivers was equally impressed with the improved defense from the previous night, a victory at home against the Nets.

The Magic had held opponents to 38 percent shooting this preseason, and they limited Atlanta to 36.8 percent Wednesday. The Magic shot 48.1 percent.

"We've got to be a good defensive team to win. We weren't the other night, but I liked what I saw tonight,'' Rivers said. "When you hold teams under 40 percent, you are going to win a lot of games, even when your offense isn't working very well. Our offense will take care of itself.''